Thierry Henry has been full of praise this season for second-placed Ligue 1 team RC Lens. The Artois side is set to complete an unlikely return to the Champions League group stage, should they confirm their second-place finish with four Ligue 1 games to play. Lens won their all-important clash at the top against Marseille on Saturday night. Appearing as a pundit for Amazon Prime Video Sport, Henry previously said that Lens were his favourite Ligue 1 team to watch.
On Sunday, the Arsenal legend doubled down on his compliments by naming Franck Haise as this Ligue 1’s season best coach. “You can stop the votes, the best Ligue 1 coach is right there, for me”, Henry said about Haise. The 1998 World Cup winner lauded Haise’s ability to improve his squad year in, year out with new players coming in and performing from the get-go. “As soon as a player enters his squad- we could see it with [Angelo] Fulgini and [Adrien] Thomasson who arrived [during the winter transfer window] – nothing changes. It’s really contagious when you see Lens as a structure.”
Rennes’ and Lille’s losses on Saturday meant that Lens can no longer finish lower than fourth in the Ligue 1 standings. Les Sang et Or will therefore play in the Champions League or the Europa League next season – a tremendous achievement from only the tenth-richest Ligue 1 club.
GFFN | Bastien Cheval